52 killed in Nigeria boat disaster

The overloaded vessel was ferrying farm workers when it capsized in northwestern Sokoto State

At least 52 people have died after an overloaded boat carrying farm workers capsized in Nigeria’s northwestern Sokoto State, according to officials and residents. Many of the victims were women and children.

The boat overturned on Thursday near Gorau town in the Goronyo local government area, Abdulkadir Yusuf, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) Sokoto State manager, told the Associated Press.

More than 80 passengers were on board and most were traveling to farms for work, according to officials cited by the news agency.

Many of those aboard were farm owners and laborers hired to harvest rice, according to residents cited by Reuters. Initial estimates of the number of passengers varied, with one resident putting the figure at more than 70 and another saying 57 people were aboard.

Read more

Sokoto state lawmaker Nasiru Adamu told Reuters that 16 people had been rescued.

Resident Samaila Garba told AP that he had personally counted at least 42 bodies, most of them women and children. “You know, during the rainy season, most women and children go to the farm to work,” he said.

Another Gorau resident, Aminu Dan Hajiya, told the agency that he regularly uses the same waterway to reach his farm. “In fact, almost every household in the community has been affected,” he said. 

Boat accidents are frequent in Nigeria, often blamed on overloading and poor maintenance and safety practices. Eleven people were killed in June when a wooden passenger boat capsized on the Benue River near Makurdi during heavy rain and strong winds, according to local media reports.

READ MORE: Dozens dead after boat capsizes in Nigeria

The most recent accident occurred just several days after another major boat disaster in Africa. A ferry carrying around 180 passengers and cargo capsized on Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba on August 11 after reportedly encountering strong waves. At least 94 people were killed, according to the Zimbabwe Republic Police.